Pressed metal leg structure



May 9, 1939. HIT. HALLOWELL r AL 2,157,955

PRESSED METAL LEG STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 13, 1937 Patented May 9, 1939UNITED STATES PRESSED METAL LEG STRUCTURE Howard T. Hallowell,Jenkintown, and Frank A.

Bennett, Philadelphia, Pa... assignors to Stand-- and Pressed Steel CoJenkintown, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 13,1937, Serial No. 120,442

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in table structures and moreparticularly to tables of the individual sewing machine type.

One object of the invention is to provide a leg structure suitable fortables of this character that shall be composed throughout of sheetmetal and that shall be characterized by simplicity of form and economyof manufacture coupled with the required strength and rigidity.

Another object of the invention is to provide a table leg structure ofthe stated character composed of two standardized leg units includingupright members of transverse V-section, together with novel means foruniting these units into a rigid assembly.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a leg structurehaving the aforesaid standardized leg units in which the said uprightsin the individual units are so united as to substantially preclude thepossibility of torsional distortion.

A still further object of-the invention is to provide in a leg structureofv the stated character a stringer member of V-section having a novelassembly made in accordance with our inven-.

tion;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a detail of theconstruction;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing a further detail ofconstruction;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4, Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5, Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in perspective illustrating another of thestructural details.

With reference to the drawing, the table leg structure therein disclosedas a preferred embodiment of our invention comprises two leg units l and2 which are united by means of two stringer members 3 and 4 into a rigidassembly. Supported in the leg unit 2 is a motor bracket 5, and thestructural form of this bracket and its mode of assembly in the unitwill be hereinafter described.

The leg units I and 2 are identical in form.

Each comprises a pair of pressed metal uprights 6 and l of V-section,and these uprights are arranged in parallel spaced relation with theirrecessed sides facing each other. The lower extremities of the uprights6 and l are turned outwardly, and the flanges at opposite sides of the vare spread out and flattened to form feet 8, and these feet arepreferably provided with apertures '9 for reception of screws by meansof which the leg structure may be anchored to the floor. The upper endof .each of the uprights is provided with a transverse extension whichform seats for the table top (not shown), and in the present instance,these transverse extensions are formed as integral parts of the uprightsby slitting the upper ends longitudinally at the apex of the V and byturning down the portions at opposite sides of the slit to form thetransversely extending ears II, I I. Each ear in'the present instance isprovided with an aperture I 2 for reception of a bolt or screw by meansof which the table top may be secured to the leg structure. 7 r

The uprights 6 and I are rigidly united by means in thepresent instanceof two transverse members l3 and hi. These members in accordance withour invention and as shown clearly in Fig. 2 depart'from the V-shapedcross sectional form of the uprights and are made instead with a truechannel or U-shaped cross sectional form.

The purpose of this departure from the simpler and cheaper V-formatio-nis to take advantage of the superior resistance to torsional strains ofthe U-section over the V-section. The uprights of the latter sectionalform have in full degree the longitudinal strength required to supportthe loads and strains imposed thereon, and the transverse members ofU-section, by reason of their superior torsional strength, resist anynormal strains tending to distort the leg unit from its normal flatplane. We have found that .transverse members of the U-section are welladapted for assembly with uprights of V-section to produce an extremelystrong and rigid assembly. The manner of uniting the cross members withthe uprights is clearly shown in Fig. 2, wherein it will be noted thatthe ends of the transverse members are tapered so that the saidextremities fit neatly within the V-shaped recess of the uprights, theconverging edges of the web of the channel engaging and being welded tothe inner faces of the flanges of the uprights, and the dependingflanges of the U-shaped transverse member engaging the outer edgeportions of the uprights and being also welded to the latter. In

this manner, the joint between these members directly resists distortionin all directions, and the construction provides an extremely strong andrigid connection between the uprights and the transverse members.Preferably the channels of the transverse members are inverted asillustrated.

As previously set forth, the leg units and 2 are united by means of thestringer members 3 and 4. The stringer member 3 extends in the presentinstance between the lower transverse members l4 of the two units. theform of a relatively wide inverted channel which underlies the saidmembers I4, and the stringer is provided at each end with an upturnedflange I5 which respectively lie against the outer faces of the membersI4 as illustrated. In the present instance, the stringer is secured tothe members M by means of a bolt l6 which extends downwardly through thechannel members l4 and through an aperture in the base flange of thechannel.

The stringer 4 extends between and is secured to the rear uprights ofthe units I and 2. Like the uprights, this stringer has a V-shapedtransverse sectional form, and the extremities of the stringer aremodified as to shape to provide a secure and rigid connection betweenthe stringer and the uprights. As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, theextremities of the stringer are shaped to provide a transverse channelI! of V-formation in which the longitudinal channel of the stringerterminates, and the channel I! is so proportioned as to conformaccurately to the V-shaped transverse sectional form of the uprights I.In the present instance, the stringer is secured to the outer sides ofthe uprights and the transverse channels I! of the stringer 4 form ineffect sockets which receive and embrace the outer sides of theuprights, the outer surfaces of the flanges of the uprights lying flatlyagainst the inner faces of the channels H. The stringer in the presentinstance is secured to the uprights 1 by means of bolts l8, and it willbe noted that by reason of the aforedescribed formation at the ends ofthe stringer, the stringer is mechanically interlocked with the uprightsindependently of the securing bolts I8, the construction being anextremely strong and rigid one.

The bracket 5 previously referred to and shown in Figs. 1 and 5 consistsin a preferred form of a flat plate having at each longitudinal sideedge a depending flange I9. Flanges 2| and 22 are also provided at eachend of the plate, the flange 2| in the present instance extendingdownwardly and substantially at right angles to the plane of the plate,and the flange 22 at the other end extending from the plate similarlybut in the opposite direction. Each of the flanges 2| and 22 is providedwith a pair of spaced pressed ribs 23, the recessed sides of these ribsbeing in the This stringer takes outer surfaces of' the flanges, and theribs 23 in each of the flanges are so relatively positioned that therecessed sides thereof may form sockets for reception of thelongitudinal edges of the uprights 6 and l, as shown for example in Fig.5. Bolts 24 are passed through the uprights 6 and 'l and through theflanges 2| and 22 and thereby secure the bracket to the uprights. It isto be noted that by this arrangement inclusive of the ribs 23, thebracket by means of a single bolt at each end is held rigidly betweenthe uprights in a normal horizontal position. It will be noted furtherby reason of the oppositely disposed flanges 2| and 22 that it ispossible to insert the bracket for assembly between the uprights 6 and lwithout distortion of either of the flanges from its normal positionwith respect to the plane of the plate. In assembling the bracket forexample, the latter is placed between the uprights with the forward edgeof the bracket, i. e., that to which the flange 2| attaches, in a lowerhorizontal plane than the rear edge of the bracket, and that in thenbringing the plate into the horizontal position between the uprights,there is no interference by either of the flanges 2| or 22. This notonly materially facilitates the assembly operation but makes assemblypossible as previously described without bending or distorting any partof the bracket.

There may be certain modifications in details of structure describedabove without departure from the invention as defined in the appendedclaims.

We claim:

1. In a pressed metal leg structure, the combination with spaceduprights of V-shaped transverse sectional form, of a stringer of liketransverse sectional form extending transversely between and secured tosaid uprights, said stringer having its extremities shaped respectivelyto the form of a transverse V-shaped channel in which the longitudinalchannel terminates, and said transversely channeled extremitiesconforming accurately in shape with the said cross-sectional form of theuprights and seating against the latter.

2. In a pressed metal leg structure, the combi-v nation with spaceduprights of V-shaped transverse sectional form, of a stringer of liketransverse sectional form extending transversely between and connectingsaid uprights, said stringer having its extremities shaped respectivelyto the form of a transverse V-shaped channel in which the longitudinalchannel terminates, and said transversely channeled extremities forminga socket for reception of and embracing the outer convergent faces ofthe channel uprights and being secured to the latter.

HOWARD T. HALLOWELL. FRANK A. BENNETT.

.F was.

